1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless audio device, and more particularly to a portable audio device capable of playing audio signal and wirelessly receiving and reporting a body/motion signal of a user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the modern society, people have been working busily for most of the time. To relax themselves from heavy work pressure, most of them enjoy music or do exercises. Commercially, there are various entertaining equipment to provide amusing entertainment. Among these, portable audio devices like radio, CD Walkman and MP3 are mostly popular, that are convenient to use at anywhere.
Moreover, there are many exercisers for people who require appropriate exercises. For a person to accurately control a moderate quantity of exercise and monitor personal physical condition, various types of body/motion signal sensing devices have been researched and developed, e.g. pedometer, jog-speed sensing device, bicycle-speed sensing device, heartbeat sensing device and so on.
Most conventional body signal sensing devices or motion signal sensing devices are designed to provide one single detecting and sensing function. That is, each type of conventional sensing device is able to detect and sense only one type of signal at a time. For example, there are various heartbeat sensing devices commercially available. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,474, a telemetric transmitter unit is disclosed. The transmitter electronics is coupled to each electrode by means of a conductive plastic layer for transmission of signal. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,753, a heartbeat rate indicator in the form of wristwatch is disclosed. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,180 describes a device for measuring heartbeat rate that includes a wrist strap with skin contact electrodes and a coil receiver for receiving telemetrically transmitted heartbeat signals either from a wireless receiver or from the skin contact electrodes.
Also, there are many types of pedometers in the market. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,371,945 and 5,164,967 disclose a pedometer for calculating a distance which a user walks, jogs or runs by electronically measuring the length of each stride taken by the use.
All of the aforesaid conventional body signal sensing devices and motion signal sensing devices are designed to have only one detecting and sensing function. That is, in practical use of these conventional sensing devices, they can detect and display only one type of signal. In fact, those products do not match the users' requirements. Some producers have devoted to develop a few body signal sensing devices with multiple functions. Take for an example. U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,042 discloses a fitness monitoring device that includes an electronic pedometer which responds to a user's body motion at each step and a wireless heart rate monitor which is wirelessly coupled to the electronic pedometer. The pedometer is fitted to the user's waist and the wireless heart rate monitor is fitted to the user's chest. The heartbeat signal is transmitted wirelessly to and is displayed on the pedometer. Practically, it is not easy and inconvenient for the user to view the data displayed on the pedometer.
Also, an electronic combined pulse meter and pedometer is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,725, in which a single sensor is used for determining the walking pace and pulse rate, and the data are displayed on the pedometer. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,789, a new pedometer with game mode is disclosed, which can be used as a game by a child to get some exercise such as walking and/or running without reluctance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,389 discloses an exercise monitor which provides an exercising person information at any desired period of time about his pulse rate at that instant. The pulse rate is transmitted to the earphones by wire at predetermined intervals when the music is still playing. However, the motion of the user is hindered and restricted by the connecting wire between the ECG apparatus and the earphones. Also, the exercise monitor is capable to provide pulse rate information only.
It is noted that there is no appropriate body/motion signal sensing device which can detect body/motion signal and provide audio signal reporting function.